Houses Competition Compilation Year 4 Compilation
by kuroaiko2014
Summary: All stories written for the fourth year of THC. Multiple characters, multiple pairings.
1. R1 Drabble

**A/N  
****The House  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (200-900 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Character] Gregory Goyle  
****Word count: 713 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya, Bailey**

**Notes: OOC!Gregory Goyle is smarter than he lets on**

**Knowing Yourself**

Greg sat in the library of his family home as the snow fell in flurries outside the window. He had opted to come home for Christmas this year. He had been putting off doing his holiday homework, but his mother found him and started in on him about his grades again.

"I don't understand, Gregory. Why are you having so much trouble now? You were perfectly fine in your studies before you started at Hogwarts!" A disappointed sigh followed his mother's rant.

Greg clenched his hands into tight fists as he kept his head lowered. He hadn't moved from the chair he had been reading in when his mother came.

"Well? Say _something_."

Greg inhaled sharply, then finally lifted his head. "I can't have better grades than Malfoy."

Nora took a step back and sat abruptly in the chair opposite him. "You can't _what_?"

"I can't get better scores in class than Malfoy," he repeated. "In potions, it's a hassle just to deal with the professor and scrape in an Acceptable, but in our other classes… I can't be better than him."

"But… but _why_?" Nora stared at her son in disbelief. "You are _smarter_ than this– _better_ than this!"

Greg shrugged. "Father said I shouldn't insult him, and when I understand things faster in class, Malfoy goes off. It's just easier."

"No." Nora stood. "You are not jeopardizing your future because of a snot-nosed brat who thinks he deserves everything just because his daddy is someone special."

Greg flinched, "But Father—"

"Your father is not the boss in this house, I am." Nora stood and walked the few feet to stand before her thirteen-year-old son. "Come with me. We're going to have a word with the Deputy Headmistress about your elective courses. None of the Goyle or Yaxley bloodlines have Seer capabilities so you don't need Divination. You don't need Care of Magical Creatures either since none of the Goyle holdings have anything to do with it. Instead, you should be in Arithmancy and Runes."

Greg stood in a daze, keeping his gaze locked on the floor. "Do you… Mother, do you think I could ask for a resorting?"

Nora appraised her son and nodded once. "I didn't really understand why you went to Slytherin when you are more like me– a Hufflepuff."

Greg finally looked up at his mother and smiled brightly. The hope shining in his eyes nearly took her breath away. Here was the boy she raised, not the hollow shell that he had become.

"I think we should talk with Professor McGonagall and see what we can do to get you where you need to be. Go grab that stack of completed assignments you think I don't know about in your trunk so we can prove that you deserve what we are requesting."

Greg kissed his mother's cheek and ran to do as she asked. Things were going to get better. He would send a letter to Vincent and let him know what he had done so that he wouldn't be blindsided.

He made his way back to his mother. "Um, Mother?"

"Yes, dear? Are you ready?"

"Can we bring Vin? He's in the same position as me…" Greg trailed off.

Nora just nodded and called for their elf to send a note to Jezabel, Vincent's mother.

When it came back with an approval for them to go to the Crabbe home, they left immediately.

After just thirty minutes of conversation between the parents, during which the two teens played a game of chess, the four were on their way to Hogwarts.

The day everyone returned to the castle after the break, there was an uproar. Malfoy threw a fit that his 'lackeys' were no longer Slytherins, and Vincent and Gregory argued that they had every right to be Hufflepuffs. It took the professors nearly twenty minutes to get everyone to settle down.

Afterward, the two were approached by multiple students asking how they'd gotten a transfer into Hufflepuff. The biggest surprise was when Granger and Potter both approached them and asked if they'd like to study together sometime. Greg stared in amazement while Vincent agreed to a tentative study plan with two-thirds of the Golden Trio. Their Hogwarts days were about to get a lot more interesting.


	2. R1 Standard

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round One  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Standard (950-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Prompt] Arranged Marriage  
****Word count: 1914 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Gwen, Aya**

**Notes: Trigger warnings: Non-Consensual marriage/relationship. Use of controlling spells and substances.**

**A Scandalous Arrangement**

Astoria watched as the gathered witches and wizards converged on the couple as they made their way to the head table to cut the cake. She shuddered in revulsion as Pansy kissed Draco as they cut the cake.

"Happy it isn't you, 'Tori?" Daphne sidled up to Astoria's side as she watched the horror show that was her 'best friend' and the Slytherin Prince kissing.

"Thanking my lucky stars, and Harry Potter, for the break in my arranged marriage to that blond peacock. '_Perfect Prefect Pansy Parkinson, Pregnant'?_ Sounds like the headline that should have run instead of the '_Astoria Acquits Arrangement'_ title that did. I didn't cheat on my fiance; he did."

"Ah, but sister dear—" Daphne wrapped her arm around Astoria's waist with a wry grin, "Malfoy money can buy you anything, including _Prophet_ headlines."

"Are we talking trash about Malfoy again?" Harry joined their conversation and handed a glass of champagne to Astoria.

"Parkinson, too. We are equal opportunity snarking here. How did we get invited to the circus again?" Astoria took a sip from the glass and frowned at the couple as they fed each other cake.

"Well..." Harry trailed off, running a hand through his hair.

"Come on, Potter, don't leave us hanging." Daphne nudged him with her foot.

"I may have told them both that I would go public with the truth behind the '_Greengrass and Malfoy Arranged Marriage Falling Out'_ if they didn't put on a good face and invite us to the wedding. Besides, the obscuring charms they are trying to use are going to fail in three...two…"

Harry waved his hand and the charms fell. The sudden silence in the room as all eyes locked on the heavily pregnant, obviously should not have worn white, Parkinson bride.

Draco went white then flushed a vivid, ugly red.

Pansy's hands immediately went to cover her stomach, but nothing could take the sight and memory of this reveal from over two hundred guests and serving staff.

Astoria choked and stared. "Seriously?"

The congregation shifted their attention to the recently unengaged Greengrass heiress.

"Obviously your affair with that trollop went on much longer than you told me, _Draco_," Astoria growled. "That harlot is much farther along than three months! She's nearly ready to give birth! I'm surprised she's not in labor right now!"

"Now just wait a minute!" Draco started to make his way off the dais where the head table was. He froze when Pansy gripped his arm.

"Draco?" Her voice wavered as she looked out over the crowd. "I don't… I… What's going on?"

Harry narrowed his gaze on Malfoy and motioned for three of his Aurors to start setting a perimeter with anti-apparition wards going up, then set the other undercovers that he snuck into the wedding on converging near his location without drawing attention.

Astoria switched her gaze from Draco to Pansy and saw what she should have noticed long before this point. Arranged marriage aside, no one deserved that. "Pansy?"

Pansy darted terrified eyes to Astoria. "I don't understand. What is happening here?" She looked down at herself and blanched.

"Harry, get her away from him," Daphne whispered before drawing herself tall and staring down the Malfoy scion. "Seems you took your father's lessons to heart a little too well, Draco."

Draco wrenched his arm from Pansy's grasp causing her to stumble back into her chair.

Draco stalked forward, completely oblivious to Harry making his way towards his bride. "What was that, Greengrass?"

"I _said, _you are a horrible person that uses potions and spells to get the girl you want, and money to drag my sister's name through the mud when _you_ are the one that broke the clauses stated explicitly in your marriage contract!" Daphne stepped up nose to nose with Draco. "And now I have proof of everything I just said." Her eyes darted to where Harry stood with the pale bride, a medical scan parchment clenched in the hand not pointing a wand at Draco's heart through his back.

Draco turned and took in the sight. "What do you think you are doing to my _wife_?"

"Ah ah ah, Malfoy. Marriage vows only take if the person saying them is under their own volition. Not under six compulsion and three potions that could compromise the baby's health. You realize you might kill the child giving her these potions?"

Pansy looked up at her avenging angel with a soft cry, "My baby is dying?"

"Not if I have anything to say about it." Harry pulled his Auror-issued emergency portkey out of his robes. "This wedding is a farce. Malfoy broke his arranged marriage with Astoria by cheating on her. He used a combination of compulsion charms and controlling potions to snare Pansy Parkinson and in doing so got her pregnant. The combination of the spells and potions over time built in her a slight resistance. Malfoy losing his temper caused his magic to flare and release most of the spells letting Pansy free."

He wrapped his arm around Pansy and held the portkey to her chest. "I'm taking her to get medical attention. I suggest that if anyone had any idea what Malfoy was up to, they be waiting in my office at the Ministry. That's the Head Auror's Office. 'Emergency'." At the activation phrase, Harry and Pansy vanished.

When they disappeared, the Aurors Harry brought in took Draco out with stunners and turned toward the guests. Two Aurors transported Draco to the holding cells at the Ministry.

Susan Bones started giving orders. "You heard the man, if you have information, line up here. If you have questions about what just happened, line up by that wall, and if you are just wanting to get home, line up with those three over there." She pointed to each station as she spoke.

After the majority moved to the three indicated lines, only Aurors were milling around in the open space. The three lines started moving to get out of the rented space and most were just going home to gossip with anyone that wasn't invited to the scandalous wedding.

Only a handful had any inclination that not everything was as it seemed in the relationship between Pansy and Draco.

One person had information on the arranged marriage contract that had been hastily composed before the wedding took place. That one person was Narcissa Black. She had recently come out of her potion and spell induced haze since Lucius had been sentenced to the Veil of Death for his Death Eater activities.

* * *

"I didn't realize," Narcissa murmured as she sat in the visitor's chair in Harry's office the next day.

"Ms. Black," Harry sighed. "I only realized because I saw what you were going through after Lucius' death just a month ago. It took us this long to set up the sting operation."

"I should have known sooner though! I—she was cheated into that horrible family just like I was." Narcissa clenched the sleeves of her robes as she looked up at Harry. "That contract. He drew it up without my approval because he knew. He knew what his father did to keep me compliant and he used what he knew to trap that poor girl. That contract… I got an elf to duplicate it for me. It's _worse_ than the one my father drew up with Abraxas and Lucius. Harry—he was going to use her as a broodmare and get another wife with that contract."

Harry's face set in a mulish expression. "Did it say anything about being binding even in the event potions were used that could kill the offspring of the 'broodmare'?"

Narcissa released her sleeves with a sigh. "No. It said nothing about potions or spell usage."

"Then it's non-binding. Pansy is free. If you like, I can set her up in another of the Black properties to keep her out of reach of Draco. I've officially cast him from the family. He now only has claim to the Malfoy line, not that it will help him. He'll go to Azkaban for this. You know that, don't you?"

Narcissa just sighed heavily. "I know. With what Lucius did to me, the Malfoy and Black lines have ended. Pansy… she can let her magic work with her to eradicate Draco from her child if she gets the right mediwitch or -wizard on her case. Recommend Healer Starline to her and let her know that she is welcome to live with me, or just seek me out if she needs." Narcissa stood abruptly. "I'm going to go and set up rooms for her just in case. You should speak to Astoria and Daphne."

Harry gave a half-hearted smile and nodded his assent. "Goodbye, Narcissa."

He watched her close the door behind her. As soon as the door latched, he slouched in his chair, groaned and rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands. "This all started because Tori and Daph came to me about Tori's contract looking for loopholes. Merlin, the magical world is _so_ far behind the normal. Arranged marriages? That's so archaic! Only royal families do that sort of thing now."

Harry cast _Tempus_ then winced. "Better go have that talk with Tori and see if she'll visit Pansy with me. That girl needs all the friends she can get."

He threw his cloak on and made his way out of the Ministry.

* * *

Pansy clutched a soft blue blanket to her chest as Healer Starline spoke. Her eyes opened wider as the information the Healer told her filtered in. "I can make him be _only_ mine? This works?"

"It's your magic. The baby recognizes your magic as his life. He understands that anything you do is meant to help him. If your magic wills it, he will be only yours." The Healer sat and explained things that Pansy had no idea could exist.

"Healer Starline, how is it that I've never heard of this before?" Pansy ran her hands over the blanket.

"It's something that the male population tries to keep buried. A study by the Unspeakables found that if a woman underwent trauma while pregnant by the father then the mother's magic would alter the baby's genetic makeup to only follow the mother." Healer Starline smiled, "It's strange, but it works. Do you want me to walk you through it?"

Pansy took a shaky breath and nodded.

* * *

"Tori," Harry started.

"No, don't say it, Harry. I already know why you did what you did. I saw what you went through with Narcissa. I don't understand how I didn't see Pansy going through the same. I don't blame you for how everything happened." Astoria threw an unopened bottle of butterbeer to Harry then opened her own. "It was a bad situation, but at least the contract is able to be voided like mine was. She'll need a good support system. We can do that for her, right?"

Harry kissed the side of her head when she sat next to him. "We can. Daph has been missing her friend. She felt bad about the situation, but she chose you as a good sister would."

Astoria snuggled into his side. "Arranged marriages are for the birds. I'm glad you were able to get mine revoked. Thank you for everything."

"Saving people is my thing." Harry grinned cheekily, then added, "I'm the Chosen One."

Astoria snorted. "Sure thing, Chosen One. Now turn on the telly. _Smallville_ starts in ten minutes."


	3. R2 Drabble

**A/N****The Houses Competition****Round Two****House: Hufflepuff****Student: Year 6****Category: Drabble (200-950 Words)****Prompt(s): [Action] Watching a muggle movie as a witch/wizard****Word count: 949 (Per Google Docs)****Beta(s): Gab, Aya****Notes:**

**Lions, and Tigers, and Bears**

Hermione grinned as she brought a bowl of popcorn into the den. She had gotten Harry to sneak away from the Dursleys, and Neville had come over under the pretense of doing summer homework.

"Are you ready, Neville? Got your drink and snacks?" Hermione set the popcorn on Harry's lap as he had the middle seat on the sofa.

Neville nodded as he drank more soda. "This is really good, but I still don't understand how Muggles think that witches look like hags." He nodded towards the movie's VHS case.

Hermione made sure all of her personal snacks and her drink were where she wanted them, then pointed a small black box at the much larger one in front of them.

"You'll just have to watch it to understand. Time for the show, boys!" With that declaration, the telly turned on and the trio watched as a black-and-white film began.

Harry had caught a few glimpses of this movie before, but when his aunt had realized that there was magic in it, she threw the film out and forbade Dudley from watching it. He was looking forward to seeing it in full for the first time.

Neville sat entranced as each character was introduced. He jumped when the twister on-screen took the girl, her dog, and house into a new world full of color. He bit back a gasp as the good witch came on screen. He laughed as the munchkins sang and danced for Dorothy, and flinched when the bad witch caused everyone to run on screen.

Harry sat just as captivated as his pureblood friend. He frowned when Scarecrow was introduced, drawing parallels between himself and the clueless character.

The two wizards were confused over the 'heartless' Tinman. "How can he have no heart, Hermione? It makes no sense!"

"Just watch the movie, Harry. You'll understand later." Hermione nudged Harry's shoulder to get him to pay attention to the latest character.

Neville inhaled sharply when they called the Lion cowardly. He drew his own conclusions about being that particular character in real life. Being unable to stand up to anyone, always afraid of his own shadow...

Hermione watched her friends from the corner of her eye as the movie progressed. The quartet—plus dog—made it to the Emerald City and met the Wizard of Oz. Neither boy liked his character. They both found him mean and cowardly to send a young person, with no training at that, to do what he should. What kind of adult sent a teenager to defeat a great evil?

As the group made their way to the wicked witch's home to kill her, both boys sat with frowns maring their faces at the idea. Hermione paused the movie.

"Wha— Mione!" Harry complained as he sat forward.

"It's just to get fresh drinks, Harry. It'll only be a moment." Hermione grabbed their glasses and ran to the kitchen. When she returned, Harry was glaring at the telly and Neville had his knees pulled up to his chin as he stared at the screen blankly.

"Ready?"

Harry glanced at Neville before they both nodded.

Hermione pressed play.

They watched as Dorothy and Toto were kidnapped. Her friends were thrown about, and Scarecrow was torn apart by the winged monkeys.

Neville's eyes were large as the witch interrogated and yelled at the girl. Dorothy seeing her family in the crystal ball brought Neville to curl his arms tightly around his knees.

Dorothy's friends finally made it into the witch's lair, and a sheer accident of throwing water to try to keep Dorothy's friend from burning up made the witch melt.

They watched as the group went back to Emerald City and received a hero's welcome for commiting murder. They watched the Lion be given a badge of courage, the Tinman received a heart-shaped watch, and the Scarecrow received a diploma before reciting an equation to prove his smarts. The boys avidly watched the events leading up to Dorothy saying her famous phrase, "There's no place like home. There's no place like home..."

As Dorothy awoke in her black-and-white world to her family, both boys smiled sadly.

"You know, I heard a couple first years saying that on the train home for summer hols, but I didn't understand the reference." Neville stood up and stretched.

"I kind of understood, but I hadn't seen the whole movie to really get it," Harry responded as he gathered the used bowls and glasses.

"Did you at least like the movie?" Hermione asked as she led the way to the kitchen.

"It was good, but…" Neville trailed off.

"But you pictured yourself as a certain character?" Hermione asked kindly.

Neville nodded.

"We all do. Depending on the day, I'm the Scarecrow, or the wicked witch, or even Toto, the little dog." Hermione indicated the sink for Harry to set down his load. "It's normal. Don't dwell on it."

"Besides, Neville, I know you're thinking you're the Lion, but you've stood up to my and Hermione when you knew we were gonna cause trouble!" Harry paused, then cut his eyes to Neville with a sly grin, "You dressed up Snape in your Gran's clothes third year!"

Neville flushed brilliantly at the reminder. "It wasn't really Snape…" He shrugged off his embarrassment. "I guess we should head home now?"

Hermione sighed. "If you want."

Neville nodded. "I know you said don't dwell, but I have a lot to think about. Have a good day, Hermione, Harry."

Neville took his portkey home.

"Come on then. Dad'll take you home, Harry."

Harry ran a hand through his hair. "I'll see you later. Bye, Hermione."

Harry left with Mr. Granger and a lot on his mind.


	4. R3 Drabble

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Three  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (200-950 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Word] Undiscovered  
****Word count: 852 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Gab, Aya, Bailey**

**Early Morning Discoveries**

Luna padded softly through the corridors, peering into each alcove she passed for a glimpse of her missing belongings. She sighed heavily as yet another alcove passed and she had found nothing.

She took a few more steps and tripped over an uneven flagstone. She careened toward the wall only to fall straight through it instead of against it. She grunted as her bum hit the floor. Wall sconces lit up around her, and she gazed around the dusty unused passageway.

"Hmmm, I think I've just found a previously undiscovered hall..." She stood shakily, then brushed off the seat of her robes.

Luna walked down the disused corridor while running her right hand along the wall. "I wonder if there are other places that are undiscovered in this school." She paused when her hand pushed through the stone instead of grazing it.

"Another path?" Luna asked as she turned toward the wall.

She walked hesitantly through it and stopped in her tracks as her jaw dropped in awe. Hundreds of portraits lined the walls of the room she found herself in.

"Mum?" Luna took a few staggering steps towards an activated portrait of her dead mother. "Mum?"

Pandora Lovegood cast a sad but love-filled smile at her daughter. "Hello, Luna-love."

"Mum, how is this possible?" Luna waved an encompassing hand towards the portraits. "We never commissioned a portrait!"

Pandora shook her head, "We didn't, but my Master did. I was working on my Spell-Crafting Mastery when the accident that cost me my life —and nearly cost yours —happened. All of us, in this corridor, we're Apprentices that didn't survive our Mastery Training."

Luna choked back a sob. Her gaze caught on a kind-looking redhead with pretty green eyes. "Is that-"

"Lily, come meet my Luna," Pandora said, responding to her daughter's half-spoken question.

Lily Potter shifted from her portrait into her friend's to get closer to the dazed-looking girl. "Hello, Luna."

"You're Harry's mum." Luna blinked owlishly then blurted out, "I should bring him here to meet you!"

Luna drew her wand and cast her Patronus. Her happy, hoppy, hare was brighter than ever as she thought of seeing her mother's portrait. "Harry, follow the hare. I have someone here you'd really like to meet." She sent her Patronus off and sat in front of the portrait to await her friend.

It took nearly fifteen minutes for Harry to stumble into the room.

"How on Earth," Harry grumbled as he shoved a piece of old parchment into his pocket. "Luna? This place is undiscovered on my map and it looked like you had vanished from the cas...tle…" Harry finally stopped talking as he realized he was looking at a pair of eyes identical to his own.

"Hello, Harry," Lily reached out, then dropped her hand.

"Mum?"

Luna smiled happily as she stared at her own mum.

"Yes, sweetheart. Oh, Harry, I am so _sorry_ that I wasn't there while you grew up."

"It's not your fault. I blame Voldemort and Dumbledore for my misfortunes. You and Dad were just unfortunate casualties in their war."

Lily frowned. "Dumbledore?"

"He planned for the prophecy to leak, Mum. He sent Sirius to Azkaban without a trial. He sent me to Petunia!" Harry paced in front of their mothers' shared portrait. "I also found out not too long ago that Trelawney, that old fraud, was the one to give the prophecy, and it isn't even real! She faked it to get the Divination post!"

Lily stilled. "Fake?"

"Yes! We found out last year when we went to the Hall of Prophecies. There wasn't a prophecy attached to my name at all, Mum. It was a trap... and it got Sirius killed," Harry trailed off and paused in his pacing. "Mum, is there any way… can I take your portrait from here?"

Lily tilted her head, "I'm not sure. Just a moment." Lily glided from frame to frame, asking the oldest portraits whether it was possible to leave the room.

After speaking with several people, she went back to her own portrait. "They say that as long as you remove the frame carefully, I'll be able to be shrunk down and hidden in your things to take home with you. You can do the same with Pandora for Luna as well."

Harry nodded in determination and cautiously removed both women's portraits. He used several Cushioning charms before casting the spells to shrink and protect the portraits from damage.

"Are you still having issues with your Housemates?" Harry asked.

Luna nodded.

"I'll keep your mother with mine to keep her safe. Let me know when you want to speak with your mum and I'll meet you. I'll give her back to you on the train home."

"Thank you, Harry Potter. You really are a good friend."

Harry grinned. "Thank you for finding this undiscovered room so that we could both find our mothers."

Luna smiled softly as they entered the normal corridor. They each headed off to get ready for the day to truly begin. Discoveries notwithstanding, it was still twenty minutes before breakfast would be served.


	5. R3 Standard

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Three  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Standard (950-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Setting] Durmstrang Institute (Northern Europe)  
****Word count: 1327 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Gab, Aya**

**Notes: Viktor/others speaking in Bulgarian throughout. WARNING! Mentions of torture.**

**An Unfortunate Return**

Viktor looked around as he stepped into Durmstrang Institute on the first day of the school year. He twitched his wand to get his trunk to follow him while he carried a rucksack with study materials he had gathered up before leaving home.

Viktor sighed as he caught another student glaring at him from where she sat near the entrance to the school with her heavy winter traveling cloak clenched tightly around her huddled form. He had already been subjected to several sidelong angry looks, but there wasn't anything he could do about them. He had caught the Snitch and ended the Quidditch World Cup with a loss because his teammates couldn't keep up with the Irish. At least he kept the margin between the two teams down to a single goal. "Not that they even care," he grumbled, his accent thickening in his ire, as he made his way to his rooms. "They should be talking about the horrific spectacle after the World Cup, not the game itself."

He shifted his bag and made sure his trunk was still following as he started to ascend the stairs to his private rooms. His eyes slid past deep-set windows showing the snow-laden mountainside. He stalked silently through the halls and took a back staircase that not many students utilized to get to his room faster. He dropped his trunk at the foot of his bed and flopped backward onto the dark bedding. He shrugged off his heavy fur-lined cloak and pushed his rucksack under his head. "Only two more years. Two more years, and I can use my earnings from Quidditch to buy back my family business."

He reached up and worked his rucksack open as he lay on it. He finally managed to pull a small green book from within it. He had written in his ledger all of the deposits and withdrawals from his personal vault since he started playing for the Bulgarian National Team.

"I still don't see why my parents sold the controlling interest in Krum Apothecaries to Gringotts Bank. We could have come up with the gold to send myself and Nera, when she is old enough, to school. We could have been trained by tutors for much cheaper than tuition to Durmstrang as well," Viktor muttered to himself as he looked at his ledger.

He wrote down several new deposits and withdrawals and looked at the final total. "Sixty-eight thousand, four hundred Galleons. We need forty thousand more to cover interest and the loan itself." He scratched out two numbers and redid his math. "Make that forty-three thousand with the added year of interest. One hundred eleven thousand and four hundred Galleons to cover the loan, interest, and paperwork fees to regain total control of Krum Apothecaries. That gives me approximately seven thousand galleons to live on for the next two years. It shouldn't be too bad since I am still a student this year, so my living expenses are negligible."

A sharp rapping noise came from his door. "Mr. Krum?"

Viktor sighed and closed the book before pulling his cloak back on and sliding the ledger into his cloak pocket.

"I'm here. Who are you? Is it time for the welcoming feast?" Viktor asked as he opened the door to see a sixth-year student, denoted by the uniform she wore, in the hall.

The student nodded. "The feast starts in ten minutes. I'm Victoria." She then glanced up at Viktor from beneath her fringe. "Is it true?"

Viktor groaned. "Yes, I lost the game! But I ended it with a ten point difference instead of _three hundred_ and ten points! Why does no one understand th—"

"I meant the thing after. The British Dark Lord's Dark Mark being fired into the sky and Muggles being tortured– I– my brother and his friend were supposed to go, but they sold their tickets to someone else to get money for brand new school supplies and brooms this year." Victoria had stopped walking as she spoke, causing Viktor to pause as well.

"Uh, yeah. Yes, it is true. Wizards wearing pitch black robes and bone masks were seen torturing the Muggle families that were being paid to tell everyone where to pitch their tents. Once the British Ministry finally figured out they needed to call in reinforcements, the men had vanished and the Dark Mark was floating in the sky. The snake wound around itself and was a menacing sight to behold." Viktor motioned with his hand that they start walking again, before continuing, "The Muggles are being treated at the British wizarding hospital in the spell damage ward. They say the little girl may not fully recover from all that she suffered. She is only seven. Younger than Nera, my little sister."

Victoria froze. "They tortured a child?"

"Among others. The main family attacked consisted of a mother, father, the little girl, and a boy about your age. The parents are looking at a full recovery in the next few weeks. The boy in a few months, but the girl… it appears that she is a Muggle-born witch and that caused the attackers to focus on her. Her inherent accidental magic tried to protect her, but it damaged her core." Viktor shuddered. "I have donated part of my earnings from the Quidditch World Cup to their recovery. It set me back in my own ambitions, but it is the right thing to do."

Victoria nodded, then turned back to the stairs where they had stopped. "It is good of you to care for those hurt Muggles, but what does your father say about it?"

Viktor shook his head and followed Victoria, once more heading for the feast. "He says that I have a caring heart and that one day it will ruin me. I don't agree with him, but it is his opinion to have."

Victoria grimaced. "My father would probably take a similar view if I were to put my money, or any money for that matter, towards the recovery of a Muggle family."

The two students paused just before coming into view of the dining hall.

"Don't let your parents dictate everything in your life, Victoria. Let yourself have your own opinions and dreams or ambitions. Just look at me. I'm in my final year at Durmstrang, and I have a lucrative career in Quidditch, but I'm also looking at going into training for my Mastery in Transfiguration during the off-season if I can find a Master to train under that will allow an extended Apprenticeship. Always have a plan, a backup plan, and a fallback to the backup. Keep an open mind, and you might just find something you never even dreamed of."

Victoria tilted her head to the side as she regarded Viktor. "You've put a lot of thought into life after school."

"I had to. I'm trying to help my family with my career, but I also want to do what I want once my Quidditch career is over. Seekers don't have a long shelf-life. Not with everyone on the opposing team trying to take them out more than any other player besides Keeper."

"I don't play Quidditch, but from watching the game, I would guess that's true." Victoria shrugged. "I'll take everything you said under advisement, but I think we should head in now. We only have two minutes to take our seats before we get sent to Karkaroff for disobedience."

Viktor sneered. "Karkaroff won't do anything to me, but you are right. Let's get to the meal so we can get it over with. It was nice to meet you, Victoria."

"You as well, Viktor. Thank you for the career advice!" Victoria gave a half-wave to Viktor and quickly walked to her seat before Viktor entered the hall.

Viktor sighed and made his way inside. The school year had officially begun. It was too bad he had no idea what awaited him in the coming months.


	6. R4 Drabble

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Four  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (200-950 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Animal] Owl  
****Restriction: All stories must use the same main character (chosen within your house team) Blaise Zabini  
****Word count: 553 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya, Crissie**

**A New Adventure**

"Mother, do I _have_ to go to Hogwarts?"

Serena Zabini glanced down at her son and shook her head slightly. "You don't _really_ want to stay at home with me… and Gerald. We're getting things together to get married at the Winter Solstice."

Blaise scrunched his nose in distaste at the thought of his mother's latest fiance. "I don't understand what you see in him, Mother. He's a vile man with no respect for anything." Blaise shifted and nearly knocked Archimedes' cage over. "Oh, Archie!" He reached out and grabbed the cage before it fell.

The owl squawked indignantly and ruffled his copper feathers as he resettled himself on his perch.

Serena sighed and turned her son to face her while erecting a privacy ward around them. "You know that I wouldn't send you away if I could get away with it. All children aged eleven to fifteen are required to get proper training for your OWLs. At sixteen, you can be tutored at home to study for your NEWTs if that is what you wish."

Blaise pouted and looked up at his mother. "Promise?"

"Yes, little spider, I promise. Now gather up Archimedes, and I'll help you get your trunk on the train."

Blaise grabbed the handle of his owl's cage and followed his mother into a compartment near the back of the train. Serena floated his trunk onto the overhead luggage rack. When she turned back to Blaise, he had Archimedes on his shoulder and was holding the cage in both arms.

"Can you shrink it, Mother? I can keep it in my pocket for now and get an older student to unshrink it when we get to school." Blaise stared down at the cage, trying to keep from showing his distress at being separated from his mother for the next four months.

"Of course." Serena tapped the cage and it shrunk down to the size of a knut.

Blaise slipped the cage into his pocket and looked up. When his eyes met his mother's, he launched himself into her arms. Archimedes screeched and flew up to sit on the luggage rack. Serena simply wrapped her arms around Blaise's shoulders.

"I'll miss you, little spider. Don't let anyone change you. You are perfect the way you are."

Blaise sniffled quietly. "I'll miss you, too, Mother. I have Archie though. He'll keep me on the right path."

Archimedes hooted softly and preened his copper feathers with his wickedly sharp black beak.

Serena coughed lightly and pulled back from their embrace. "I should get off the train now. Write to me often. I will send you anything you forgot at home tomorrow with my owl, Lancelot."

Blaise nodded and wiped his face after releasing Serena. "Goodbye, Mother. I'll see you at Solstice."

Serena made her way out of the train and stood on the platform as others rushed about. Blaise opened his window and leaned out with Archimedes perched on his head. "I love you, Mother!"

"I love you too, my little spider."

Blaise jolted at the train started to move a moment later. He startled, then grabbed the window frame and waved wildly. "Bye!"

Serena laughed and waved as the train pulled away. "It's going to be a long four months without Blaise at home," she whispered as the train left sight of the station.


	7. R4 Standard

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Four  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Standard (950-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Time Period] Tom Riddle's Era  
****Restriction: Prompts cannot be repeated. (Within the same house)  
****Word count: 1045 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya, Crissie**

**Notes: Since McGonagall's timeline is whack in canon, I took it into my own hands and determined that she went to school with Tom Riddle based off of an interview from Rowling. Italics indicate thoughts. Bold Italics indicate flashback.**

**Greeting the New Year**

'_Everyone is so well-spoken here, my Scottish brogue will be ridiculed. I miss Malcolm. He won't be here for three more years_,' Minerva thought to herself as she listened to the gathered group of her yearmates speaking to each other. She kept her mouth firmly shut as she waited to be led into the Great Hall for the sorting ceremony.

_**Minerva sat silently as her mum helped her to pull her hair back into a tightly controlled braid. She stood up and waited as her mum banished the wrinkles from her robes before taking her and Malcolm to the platform. **_

_**She hugged her younger brother tightly before promising him lots of letters and to let him know exactly what to expect when it came time to receive his own letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. **_

"_**I'll miss you, Malcolm. Keep Mum and Dad from worrying too much." Minerva ruffled Malcolm's dark hair and grinned when he groaned.**_

"_**Fine! Just leave my hair alone!" Malcolm huffed, but looked at his sister with misty eyes. "Don' let them be mean, Minnie. You're every bit the witch they want to be." Malcolm's Scottish accent thickened until he threw his arms around his sister one last time. "Bye, Minnie. Don' forget to write!"**_

She sighed as a professor came in and introduced himself before making them all line up to enter the Great Hall. While her cohorts were oohing and aahing over the enchanted ceiling, Minerva was looking at the older students and how the tables were set up. Hufflepuff table appeared to be intermixed between the years, and everyone seemed to be friends. Gryffindor appeared to be the same with a few students actively trying to prank each other.

Minerva frowned at the behavior of the Gryffindors and kept looking around.

Ravenclaw had an inordinate amount of books and parchment on the table, leaving hardly any room for the plates and goblets that would later hold their dinner. Slytherin, on the other hand, was different in nearly all respects. The table was arranged from Seventh Year near the doors to Second Years nearest the Head Table.

The only standout student was one appearing to be around Fifth or Sixth Year that was seated with the Seventh Year students. He was the only one not talking with his neighbors and was actively inspecting each of the new First Years waiting to be sorted. Her eyes caught his from across the room and held for nearly three minutes before the Sorting Hat started his song and startled Minerva into blinking.

When Minerva glanced back at the boy, he was gazing disinterestedly at the Hat.

'_How odd,_' she pondered as the first student was called to be sorted. As the group of first years dwindled down to nearly half, Minerva heard her own name. She pulled herself tall and marched up to the rickety stool and the professor holding the Hat in his hands. She sat ramrod straight on the stool as the Hat dropped over her eyes.

"_Curious. Very curious_," the Hat muttered before going silent.

The Hall slowly started to murmur and the noise level grew as the Hat and girl sat silently conferring with each other. At four minutes, the Headmaster stood. At four minutes and fifteen seconds, the students fell silent. At four minutes and thirty-five seconds, the Hat rang out, "Gryffindor!"

The Headmaster retook his seat and the sorting continued with no further oddities. Minerva watched the boy that she had locked eyes with before the sorting started. As she stared, they locked eyes again. She could have sworn she saw him smirk at her, but she blinked and the moment was gone. '_I'll just have to find out who he is later._'

She turned back to the Head table and watched the last of her yearmates be sorted into Hufflepuff. She had a mystery to solve. One much more interesting than the case of the missing cat back home.

The next day was Saturday, so the students had no classes and free range of the castle. Minerva took complete advantage of that to ditch the girls she'd been sorted with and explore. She found most of the bathrooms, the library, and a hidden hall with a bunch of study rooms that looked to be in disuse. '_I'll have to make use of these. Those girls in my dorm are a nightmare._'

She was wandering around the Grand Staircase, speaking with random portraits when she bumped into another student. Minerva yelped and leapt backward to keep from falling.

A soft voice spoke, startling the eleven-year-old further. "Are you alright?"

Minerva darted her eyes up and saw the boy she'd been in a staring contest with the night before. One hand clutched the banister, the other pressed against her racing heart.

"Little girl, are you alright?" Amusement danced in the boy's dark chocolate eyes. "Should I take you to the infirmary since you seem to have lost your voice?"

Minerva's shocked expression turned indignant. "I am _not_ a 'little girl'!" She drew herself up to her full four-foot two-inch height. "I am Minerva McGonagall!"

The boy laughed and patted her on the head, causing her to scowl deeply.

Minerva's accent thickened as she growled out, "Don' _do_ tha'!" She shoved his arm away and huffed as she crossed her arms.

The boy raised both hands in a show of surrender. "Fine, fine. I'm sorry. I don't think I introduced myself. I'm Tom Riddle, Slytherin Fifth Year Prefect."

Minerva eyed Tom with a frown. "Then why are you talking to me. You know I'm a Gryff. Slytherin's hate Gryffs."

Tom shrugged. "I think you're bound to be more interesting than anyone else I've met so far. You're the closest to get to a hatstall in several decades."

She snorted. "My arguin' with the Hat makes me interestin'?"

Tom grinned ruefully. "You were just arguing with him?"

"Of course I was! It wanted to put me in Ravenclaw! I don' like studyin' that much!"

Tom laughed. "Oh, yes. I can see we'll be quite good friends." He offered her his hand. "Come on. I'll show you some of the shortcuts to get to classes faster."

Minerva eyed his hand then shrugged. "Sure." She took his hand and they set off.


	8. R5 Drabble

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Five  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (200-950 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Food] Pancakes/Crepes  
****Word count: 945 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya, Liza, Gab **

**Pancakes with a side of Magic**

It was a normal Saturday morning in the Creevey home. Derek had woken early, before his wife, Elaina, and his sons, Colin and Dennis. Derek set things out in an orderly fashion to get started on a big batch of pancakes. Blueberry was Colin's absolute favorite flavor, and Derek had decided that since his oldest son was turning eleven today, he would be making the biggest, most berry-filled pancakes possible.

He pulled out his largest mixing bowl. He started to mix his ingredients, first sifting the flour to ensure fluffy pancakes. He added salt, baking powder, and sugar. He whisked together his dry ingredients, then set them aside. He grabbed a smaller bowl and beat together his eggs and milk with a fork. He slowly poured the wet mix into the dry while whisking it. He added melted butter to the batter and stirred it all together. After, he dumped in the blueberries and used a spatula to fold them into the batter gently.

As the first batch of pancakes was coming off the griddle, Colin stumbled into the kitchen yawning. "Morning, Dad."

Derek grinned and ruffled Colin's hair affectionately. "Morning, champ. I'm making blueberry pancakes. Go sit down and I'll bring you a plate."

Colin grinned at his dad. "Blueberry! My favorite!"

Derek laughed. "Only the best for the birthday boy!"

"Oh, is it someone's birthday today?" Elaina asked, walking into the kitchen with her hands behind her back.

"Nah, Colin can't get older!" Dennis chimed as he skipped in and tapped Colin on the head. "He's already much older than me!"

"I'm not that much older, Dennis, just two years!" Colin replied before taking a huge bite of pancake.

Before Dennis could respond, someone knocked on the door. Dennis frowned, looking towards the entryway. Colin gripped his fork tighter and refused to look. "If it's that mean kid from the next street over, Dennis and I aren't here. That Dudley is a right nightmare! He beats up kids littler than him, and his cousin, too!"

"I don't think it's the neighborhood bully, Colin," Elaina said. She stepped into the hall and set the gift she'd been holding on the mail table.

The woman was very imposing. A strict expression, tight bun, and old-fashioned style of dress greeted her.

"Um, hello? Can I help you?" Elaina asked.

The woman's pinched look eased a bit. "I am Assistant Headmistress Minerva McGonagall of Hogwarts. I have a letter of acceptance into our private school for Mr. Colin Creevey. I _assume _this is the right address?" She gave a wry smile.

Elaina looked over her shoulder and saw her husband and two children peeking around the corner. She sighed and shook her head. "Please come in, but this must be a misunderstanding. We didn't apply for any private schools…"

Elaina grabbed the gift before leading Minerva into the family room where the rest of the family had congregated, both boys sitting at the coffee table eating their pancakes.

"I am here to offer Mr. Colin Creevey a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry," Minerva started. "I am sure you've noticed strange things happening when you are overly upset or happy?" Minerva directed her gaze at the older boy.

Colin shrugged. "Sometimes, but it's worse if it's Dennis that's sad or happy. I swear he made the school bully lose his trousers once!"

"And I will be back in two years to make Dennis the same offer. However, it is you I am here to discuss today." Minerva pulled her wand from her holster. "There are several disciplines of magic that are taught at Hogwarts. I am the Professor of Transfiguration, for example—"

She pointed her wand at the unoccupied chair in the corner and silently transfigured it into a black and white dog. The dog barked once and chased its tail before Minerva changed it back into a chair.

"We also have a class for Charms that can range from creating a light," she cast _Lumos_, then _Nox_, "to cleaning a house top to bottom. We have Potions, Herbology, Astronomy, History of Magic, and many others. Before the end of your second year, we will have a meeting, during which we can also consult your parents, to come to a decision on which extracurricular classes you want to take beginning your third year."

Colin poked at his pancakes as he thought. "I have to leave Dennis?"

"Hogwarts is a boarding school, but you do have several weeks at Christmas, Easter, as well as the Summer to come home."

"But Dennis has to wait two years? Can I wait until he goes too?"

"You need to start training your magic now. Going too long without any formal training can cause your magical core to become unstable."

Dennis patted Colin's shoulder, "It's okay. I can take care of myself. It's only two years, and you'll be home for the holidays."

Colin sighed and gave his brother a one-armed hug. "I guess I accept if my parents are okay with it."

Elaina smiled at her sons. "I think you'll be getting good use out of your birthday present this coming school year." She held out the present.

Colin tore the paper off to reveal a fancy camera. "This is great! Can I take it to school, Professor?"

Minerva gave a slight smile. "Since it doesn't run on batteries or electricity, it should work just fine."

After another hour of discussion, going in-depth on all that Hogwarts has to offer, Minerva left. The Creevey's weekend got a lot more interesting as they planned a trip to Diagon Alley, their pancake breakfast was long forgotten in the rush of magic.


	9. R5 Standard

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Five  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Standard (950-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Clothing] Black Velvet Cloak  
****Word count: 1023 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya, Crissie**

**Notes: Post-Battle of Hogwarts. Pre-Eighth-year return to Hogwarts fic.**

**To Begin a Trial**

The display window captured the attention of the Half-blood girl, causing her to pause in her trek towards Flourish and Blotts. Tracey Davis tugged on Millicent Bulstrode's sleeve, prompting the other girl to turn and look at the clothing on display. The brilliantly garish red dress had her nose wrinkling in distaste, and the emerald green cloak wasn't cut right for her figure, but she did like the look of the cloak in the back of the display. It looked like high-quality black velvet, and she mentally tallied her Galleons to see if she would have enough after her school purchases to buy it. She gave a mental shake and decided it wasn't worth skimping on her potions ingredients to get the cloak, especially with her father checking her every transaction.

"Really, Tracey? Clothes now? I thought you wanted a new trunk and your books first!" Millicent half-heartedly pulled her arm to get Tracey to relinquish her grasp on her sleeve. "I need a new potions set, Tracey!" Millicent's voice dropped to a whisper, "I can't afford new clothes right now. I don't have the money for it."

Tracey gave one more longing look at the green cloak and sighed heavily. "Come on, then. I guess we should go get the trunk first."

The pair walked past the display and headed in the direction of the luggage store.

Tracey suddenly pulled Millicent into the mouth of a side alley, then threw up a privacy spell. "Millie, why does your father keep such a tight grip on the family vault? Shouldn't you have been given a trust vault to do with as you wish?"

Millicent turned her face down and towards the alley as she responded sullenly, "He still hopes to get a boy from Mother, so I am inconsequential to him. I'm seventeen with no siblings, and Mother doesn't want another child, but he still holds out that he will get what he wants. 'This society has no place for a large, homely, horrible female like…' me." She stalled for a moment before continuing on with the hard, bitter truth. "That's what Father tells me when I ask why I haven't been named heir. Apparently, he took one look at me as a baby and decided that I was worth nothing. Tracey, I can't even afford to get that black velvet cloak off the display model in the window because he monitors everything I do!"

Tracey's eyes widened in horror. "He's setting you up to be auctioned off to the highest bidder. At least my parents realize that a woman has value in more than her ability to pump out boy children!"

Millicent shrugged before finally looking up at her best friend. "I wish he hadn't made it off the battlefield before the Auror's finally started arresting people."

Tracey flinched at Millicent's vehement tone. "Do you have proof of his involvement with the Death Eaters?"

Millicent tilted her head to the right as she thought. She turned sharply to Tracey and grabbed her hand. "We need to go back to Gringotts!"

As the two left the alley, the privacy spell broke. They ran from the alley, past the display holding the cloak that Millicent wanted, and all the way to the doors of Gringotts. When they reached the bank, Millicent went up to an open teller. "I need to speak to someone about discrepancies in the Bulstrode vaults."

The goblin sneered but motioned for her to follow him to a private office with a nameplate stating Sharpclaw on the door.

The goblin seated at the desk in the office gestured for the two witches to sit. Sharpclaw practically snarled, "You wish to speak about discrepancies in your family vaults? Are you accusing us of stealing from you?"

Millicent shook her head. "No, Master Goblin. I'm trying to say that my father was sending money to specific— now closed— accounts, and that I need proof to get him removed from polite society to where he really belongs. I want him brought up on charges of colluding with Death Eaters and bribing officials. I want him in Azkaban for his participation on the dark side of the Battle of Hogwarts."

Sharpclaw bared his teeth in a nightmarish imitation of a grin, startling both girls. "And if I help you…?"

"I'll give you every Goblin made item baring the name Bulstrode in the vaults in question. That should include several daggers and a set of bracelets. If I do this, you will help me? You will put my mother, Melinda Bulstrode nee Burke, as head of our accounts?"

Sharpclaw sat back in his chair and tapped his claws on his desk in contemplation. "You don't want to be in charge of the accounts yourself?"

"No! I just want my mother and me to be free from his oppressive behavior and dark tendencies."

Sharpclaw called in another goblin, and within twenty minutes, everything Millicent needed to take down her father and have her mother be the one in charge was in her hands.

"Thank you for your help, Master Sharpclaw. I will be back to get those items I promised you to complete our deal. I want to file this paperwork with Madam Bones as soon as possible." Millicent gathered the files together and gave a slight bow to the still seated goblin.

The girls left the bank in lighter spirits, but with heavy trepidation. Before Millicent could take the turn to exit the alley though, Tracey pulled her to a stop.

"What, Tracey. We need to go before my father realizes—"

"I think you should get the cloak first. It'll help you with impressions at the Ministry." Tracey pulled her friend to Madam Malkin's. They went in and spoke with the attendant. Fifteen minutes later they were leaving Diagon Alley and on their way to the Ministry of Magic. Tracey was wearing the emerald brocade cloak from the display, and Millicent had on the black velvet cloak that she had been admiring only an hour earlier.

"It's time to get that Death Eater taken care of, Tracey," Millicent vowed as they walked toward Madam Bones' office.


	10. R6 Drabble

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Six  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (200-950 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Object] School Desk  
****Word count: 873 (Per Google Docs)**

**Beta(s): Aya**

**Notes: First Year Picked on Harry and Neville**

**A Glimpse of the Past**

Harry shuffled into one of the lesser used study rooms as he avoided a group of older students that had harassed him the day before.

He stood by the door and listened as the group moved past the room and down the hall. He let out an irritated huff as he whispered harshly "_Why_ do they keep calling me 'Boy-Who-Lived' and all that rot. I'm _just_ Harry."

He slumped on the nearest bench and ran his hands through his hair with his arms on the student desk. His small frame shook when a draft flowed through the room. He shifted to pull his cloak tighter.

Harry sighed heavily before sitting up straight and throwing his bag on the desk. He proceeded to remove his first year potions book, a stack of parchment cut to twelve-inch lengths, as well as a bottle of ink and a quill. He opened his book to chapter three and set it up against his bag on the left side of the desk. He opened his ink bottle and cut the nib on his quill like the fifth year prefect taught him, then set to writing out his homework assignment.

The prefect had also taught Harry that a bit of drying sand or a simple spell would keep his work from being ruined when he rolled it up once he was finished.

Harry had been working his way steadily through his homework, every once in a while tossing a small bit of drying sand on his parchment to prevent smears, when his quill snagged on an imperfection in the desktop. His quill snagged so harshly that he actually tore a small hole in the parchment. His eyes went wide with dismay and his mouth started to tremble. "I was almost done!" Harry half-wailed as he shoved everything to the side to see what had caused him to ruin his nearly completed assignment.

He stared at the marking etched into the surface of the desk. He blinked rapidly, trying to calm his emotions, but they got the best of him with the scare he'd had earlier with the upper years and with the now ruined essay. Tears streamed silently down his face as he took in the words forever carved into the desk:

_Lily Evans + James Potter_

_Together 1977 - Forever_

Harry wiped futilely at the tears, trying to stem their flow. "Mum...Dad…"

Harry looked up in shock as the door to his haven flew open and another boy from his house bolted in and closed the door. Before he could ask what Neville was doing, he heard the pounding steps in the hall and Draco Malfoy's drawl, "Where'd he go? Did anyone see where Longbottom went?"

Neville leaned against the door and tried to keep his panicked breaths quiet.

Harry wiped the evidence of his crying away and went to brace the door with Neville. They stood against the door until the echoes of footsteps and voices finally vanished.

"Come on then, Neville," Harry said, tugging the boy over to his desk. "You may as well get your homework done with while the manhunt goes on." Harry grabbed his ruined sheet of parchment and a fresh sheet and got back to work, carefully avoiding the carving in the desk.

Neville sat at the next desk and set up similarly to Harry, only he got out transfiguration instead of potions. The two worked in silence for nearly 45 minutes, Harry changing out his books once he finished his potions essay.

Harry finished his last bit of homework and sat running his fingers over his mother's name. He rummaged in his bag and growled lowly when he came up empty-handed. "Neville, you wouldn't happen to have a bit of charcoal, would you?"

Neville looked up, bewildered. "Er, yeah. You need it?"

"Please."

Neville slid his book to the side and pulled a battered tin out of his bag. He popped the lid and shifted through the odds and ends. He finally selected a good quality charcoal pencil and handed it to Harry.

"Thanks." Harry set a scrap sheet of normal lined paper over the carving and made a rubbing of the little piece of his family history. He smiled softly when he finished and slid the paper carefully into the back cover of his history text before handing the pencil back.

Neville put the final touches on his last bit of homework and sat back with a sigh. "I didn't think first year work would be so…" he trailed off with a shrug.

"Time-consuming?" Harry offered as he gathered up his things.

"Yeah, that sounds about right." Neville shoved everything haphazardly into his bag.

Harry ran his hand over the words carved into the student desk before taking a deep breath. "The coast should be clear. We should run our things up to the dorm before dinner."

"Okay. Thanks for not throwing me out when I burst in here earlier."

"I know what it's like, Neville. We can use this as our regular homework room from now on. The common room is too loud, the dorms are for sleeping, and Madam Pince is too scary to be doing homework in the library."

Neville gave a shy smile. "I would like that."


	11. R6 Standard

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Six  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Standard (950-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Speech] "Life is too unpredictable to plan."  
****Word count: 1628 (Per Google Docs)**

**Beta(s): Aya**

**Notes: Alternate timeline: Snape Lives! Dumbledore lives!-But isn't particularly liked. Shacklebolt is Head Auror, Amelia is Minister.**

**Best Laid Plans**

Hermione stomped her foot in indignation as she got the memo that had flown through her office door proclaiming yet another pureblood got a position that she had applied for.

She glared at the memo with such intensity it nearly burst into flames from sheer will alone. Finally, she heaved a sigh and leaned back into her chair. "That's the fifth time someone less qualified got the job I was trying to get."

She glared at the reverse image on her office door proclaiming "Hermione Granger: Under-Secretary to the Head of Muggle Affairs."

"They stuck me in this section of the Ministry to get me to be silent."

She glanced at the door again when a knock sounded on the frame.

"'Mione? You in?"

Hermione gave a tired smile as she responded. "Come in, Harry. What brings you to my neck of the woods?"

Harry waved a memo identical to the one she tried to light on fire with her eyes. "They passed you up, _again_, 'Mione. You deserve better than this. You had a plan! You were going to be a Head of Department, Neville already is a Master Herbologist, and I was going to be the Auror."

Neither said a word about Ron not being mentioned in their life plans.

Hermione just groaned as she rubbed her eyes with closed fists. "Life is too unpredictable to plan. You of all people should understand _that_."

Harry flinched like he'd been struck. "I'm sorry I drug you into so many dangerous situations. Maybe we shouldn't be around each other if that's what you want." He hunched in on himself as he tried to mentally prepare himself for Hermione's dismissal.

Hermione's eyes widened and she raised her hands in a placating manner. "Merlin, Harry, I didn't mean it like that!" She moved so quickly from behind her desk to Harry's side it was almost apparition. She sank to her knees in front of the Savior of the Wizarding World and slowly reached out, raising his face to meet her gaze. "I wouldn't trade a single adventure or escapade that we've been on for a _lifetime _of perfectly executed plans. What I _meant _when I said 'life is too unpredictable to plan' is that maybe it's a _good _thing. I may not have a deciding vote on new laws, but I _have _caught five wizards attacking muggles and been there when they were sentenced to six months in Azkaban and three years of probation with limiters on their wands."

Harry shifted his gaze back to his clasped hands where the crumpled memo was barely visible between his fingers. "I know. I know, but it's still not right that you didn't get the new job."

Hermione glanced over her shoulder at her own copy of the note. "Maybe… maybe it's for the best. The Minister is going to step down next year. Maybe I could try for her job."

Harry gave Hermione a sharp calculating look. "Life may be too unpredictable to plan, but if you had the Chosen One backing you…" Harry grimaced.

"I would practically own the election from the start. If we could get Amelia to back us as well—" Hermione sat back on her heels with a grunt. "We could do it. Shacklebolt will definitely back you to be the Head Auror, and if Amelia backs me, we'd be the two most important people in the Ministry. We could get things changed that Amelia and Shack couldn't."

Harry finally looked at Hermione with understanding. "We could help those Muggle-borns that get trapped by Pureblood policies and prevent anything like what happened to you ever occurring again."

Hermione's eyes shone brightly with unshed tears as she thought back to what happened with their once best friend.

_Ron violently attacked her while basically saying that she deserved nothing but to become a broodmare for a Pureblood male—himself in particular. Luckily, she and Harry had done a blood bonding to allow her to join House Potter without being married into it. The blood bonding kept Ron from doing more than backhanding her into a wall, but it was actually Draco Malfoy that had truly saved her from a more horrifying attack. He came storming down the hall she had been patrolling and snapped out binding and silencing curses on Ron before turning concerned silver eyes on Hermione as she huddled on the floor in shock._

"_Granger, are you okay?" Draco knelt down a few feet away as he tried to coax Hermione into responding. "Granger? Hermione?" Draco hesitantly said her first name, and that brought her back to the present._

_Hermione scowled fiercely at Ron's bound form. "How __**dare **__you lay your hands on me? I am __**blood **__of House Potter!" She turned her gaze to the still kneeling Draco and spoke softly. "Thank you for coming here when you did."_

_Draco nodded silently and rose to his full height. He reached out a hand to help Hermione up._

_Hermione searched his face and, finding nothing but concern, placed her hand in his, allowing him to pull her to her feet._

_Draco pointed his wand at the open corridor and whispered, "__**Expecto Patronum**__." A silver fox shot from the tip of his wand and he gave it the order, "Get Snape and McGonagall. Hermione was attacked by a pureblood with designs above his station." The fox nodded and took off._

_It took several hours and a massive blow up from Harry at the Headmaster to get Ron expelled and into Azkaban for attacking a member of his family. Snape and McGonagall backed Hermione, Draco, and Harry with no hesitation. Dumbledore had had no option but to do what Harry wanted._

"It's been six years, Harry. He will be released in just four years." Hermione shuddered.

Harry drew his blood sister into his arms and squeezed her gently. "We will find a way to better protect the Muggle-borns that don't have the options that we did. I was only able to blood bond with you because I was the last surviving member of the Potter line. There isn't even a cadet branch that could have taken over my family vaults and Wizengamot seats."

Before Hermione could respond, her office door flew open and a disheveled and visibly infuriated Draco Malfoy stormed in. He didn't even blink at the sight of the Potter siblings hugging. He just immediately launched into an obviously rehearsed tirade. "How dare those pompous, overpaid, underworked, lunatics _not_ choose you for this position?! I personally vouched for you and it did _nothing_ to help! I'm a bloody Malfoy! What a Malfoy says goes, that is how it has always been!" He paused to take a breath, and Hermione took advantage of the moment to pull away from Harry and stand to wrap her arms around Draco.

Draco faltered in his speech and gazed down at the brown-eyed woman in his arms with a slightly frustrated look, but wound his arms around Hermione anyways. "You interrupted me."

Hermione shrugged, still wrapped around Draco. "You looked like you needed a hug. I was closest." She gave a mischievous smirk. "Unless you would prefer Harry to hug you instead. I could totally get out of your way."

Draco frowned and hugged Hermione closer. "No, I don't want Harry cuddles. Hermione cuddles are just fine." He cleared his throat. "Now what is the plan to get these pureblood idiots to see the error of their ways?"

Hermione grinned and shifted a few steps away from Draco to perch on the edge of her desk. Draco frowned at his recently vacated arms before focussing on Hermione again.

"Life is too unpredictable to plan… but Harry and I think we've got it figured out." She went on to explain what they had come up with and sat on her hands to keep from twitching as Draco thought over their idea.

Draco stepped forward with a grin, "I think it could work. You know I will back you both from a position of power thanks to my idiot father being thrown in Azkaban and leaving me in charge of the Malfoy seats and businesses—plus I wasn't exactly an idle rich man. I am Head of the Accidental Magic Reversal Department. I may be only a Level Three Employee, but I still have pull in some areas."

"That would be great, Draco," Harry said as he stood up and stretched. "I have to get back to the Auror Department. I didn't finish my report on yesterday's arrest in Diagon."

Draco nodded absentmindedly as he watched Hermione. He blinked then turned to Harry. "Actually I need to speak with you on another matter if I could walk back with you."

Harry shrugged. "That's fine. Bye, 'Mione."

"See you at home, Harry. Bye, Draco."

"Bye, Hermione."

The two males left the office. Draco waited until they were out of earshot, and extendable earshot, to ask Harry the most important question he had ever asked. "I know you both were saying that life is too unpredictable to plan, but I was hoping I could get your permission as Head of House Potter to court your blood sister, Hermione."

Harry appraised Draco with a smirk. "She finally got to you, huh? Yes, you have my permission, but if you hurt her—"

"I would never."

"As long as we're on the same page. Goodbye, Draco." Harry entered his office, leaving Draco standing outside gaping.

"He actually said yes." Draco ran his hands down the front of his robes as he tried to calm down. "He said yes… but now Hermione has to as well."

Draco turned on his heel and stalked back to Hermione's office. "Time to see how much of life I _can _plan." He knocked on her office door.


	12. R7 Drabble

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Seven  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (200-950 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Song Prompt] I can't help falling in love with you by Elvis  
****Word count: 543 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya**

**Defying Expectations**

Frank Longbottom steeled himself for rejection, but as soon as he saw Alice Prewett for the first time, he knew. He knew that she would be the love of his life. Frank had waited until they were in fifth year to gather his courage to ask her out to Hogsmeade.

Frank had sent his owl, Julius, to a sweets shop and a flower store to get a box of bonbons that he had seen Alice devouring when she had the chance to afford them, and a bouquet of red tulips that she had professed to be her favourite flower in one of their classes.

Frank bit his bottom lip as he waited for Alice to leave the girls dorm. He shifted from foot to foot as James and Sirius heckled him from the chess table.

"Come on, then, Longbottom? Are you _really_ that sweet on Prewett?" Sirius called before he yelped indignantly.

"Leave him alone, Siri," Remus hissed. "At least he has the gumption to _actually_ ask out the person he likes." Remus gave Sirius a heated glare and turned back to his book.

Sirius frowned and turned back to his game without another comment.

Frank shifted his attention back to the stairs. The bouquet and the chocolates were held tightly in his slightly clammy hands.

"I still don't understand what McGonagall was talking abo—" Alice cut off as she and Lily reached the main common room. "Hello, Frank. Who are those for?"

Lily smiled softly and just patted Alice's arm as she left the two fifth years staring each other down.

"Potter, Black, Lupin, and Pettigrew. Out. Now." Lily held open the portrait as the four boys filed out.

"But I wanted to—"

"No, Black. Out!" Lily cut Sirius off.

The portrait closed leaving Alice and Frank alone in the common room.

"Frank?" Alice took a few steps closer to the Longbottom heir.

"Alice, I want to—do you—" He thrust the flowers and chocolates at her. "Will you go out with me?"

Alice laughed and took the gifts, setting them aside. "I was waiting for you to ask."

Frank blinked in shock before a blinding grin overtook his face. "Really?"

Alice just nodded. "Will you go to Hogsmeade with me today?"

Frank gave a short bow with a mischievous smirk. "It would be my pleasure."

* * *

They went on many more dates, each as laughter and love-filled as the one before.

There was a moment, when the two turned seventeen, that Frank feared he would have to break away from his family to continue their relationship. Luckily, Augusta, Frank's mother, realized just how much Alice meant to Frank and allowed his request to give her the family betrothal ring to propose to the girl he'd like since he was eleven and been in love with for nearly four years.

Frank went to her family and asked her father's permission as well. Mr. Prewett was beyond pleased that his little girl found the love of her life and approved his request for her hand in marriage.

* * *

The wedding was dazzling with fairy lights and a beautiful backdrop against Longbottom Manor.

"I couldn't help falling in love with you," Frank whispered into his new wife's ear.

Alice kissed him softly. "Neither could I."


	13. R7 Standard

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Seven  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Standard (950-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): [Prompt] Dance party. **  
**Word count: 994 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya**

**The Beat of the Music**

Draco dropped his briefcase and stood in shock as he watched Harry slide across his kitchen floor in his socks as he sang to his spatula like a microphone. His unbuttoned dress shirt flapped around him as he danced around, displaying a plain white tee underneath, and his slacks were folded up at the cuff to keep him from tripping.

Harry sang with his eyes closed as he belted out the song along with the radio.

"We've got to hooooold on to what we've go—" Harry promptly choked when he spun on his heel and saw Draco standing in the doorway. He coughed and hit the stop button on his stereo. "Um, I can explain."

Draco just crossed his arms and cocked an eyebrow.

"I was just— well," Harry ran a hand through his hair. "Nevermind that. _You _are early!"

Draco snorted, "I'm really not. I said I would be here at six p.m. It is now ten after six. I was fashionably late and privy to a vibrant display of musical capabilities. What were you singing?"

Harry blushed. "Bon Jovi. The song is called _Living on a Prayer_ and it's one of their more popular songs."

"'Living on a Prayer', huh?" Draco shook his head. "You may as well play it back. After seeing your performance and enthusiasm, I want to hear it."

Harry scowled at the blond but hit the rewind button, happy that the song was the first on the tape. "Ready?"

Draco sat at the table and waved his hand loftily. "You may proceed."

Harry snorted and hit play.

The opening chords played and as the song progressed, Draco's eyes widened in surprise. He found his head bopping along to the beat and his fingers tapping along.

Draco was disappointed when the song ended. "That's it? There's no more?"

Harry laughed. "Oh, there is plenty more." He ejected the tape and switched the radio over to read a music station. When Harry found the station he wanted, he glanced at Draco. "96.3 Rock Radio. They have all sorts of bands, but the same general style of music as the song you just listened to."

The two listened to the radio host declare, "Up next on 96.3 Rock Radio: _Bohemian Rhapsody_ by Queen! Everyone buckle up for a long ride!"

Harry's eyes widened slightly. "Uh, this one gets kind of intense."

Draco just leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. "Doubt it's as good as _Living on a Prayer_." Draco secretly thought that Harry had almost the same intonation as the lead singer, though his voice was much younger.

"Just wait."

As the song started, Draco sneered at Harry. "It's _slow_."

"Just listen to the lyrics and wait!"

Draco huffed.

When the tempo picked up, Draco sat up in interest. As the Galileo's rang out, he found himself standing. The guitar solo started and he just couldn't help himself and started bebopping and dancing around to the music.

Harry was dancing along and mouthing the lyrics.

The final strains faded out, leaving Draco slightly out of breath with eager eyes. "What's next? That was awesome!"

Harry just laughed. "You didn't like the beginning," he reminded Draco.

"So? The middle and end more than made up for the slow intro."

Okay then." Harry left the kitchen for a moment and came back carrying a small box with a bunch of cassette tapes in it. "These are the tapes I have on hand. I haven't really built up my collection yet. I've got Queen, Bon Jovi, the Beatles, the Police, Def Leppard, Van Halen… Journey. Journey is more soft rock than power ballads, and no one that I know of has done a song nearly as long as Queen's _Bohemian Rhapsody_."

Draco stared at the tapes, then started sifting through them, reading song titles to himself and trying to see if there was anything he wanted to listen to.

He pulled a tape out and tapped it against his hand. "I found another Bon Jovi tape."

Harry held out his hand. "Give it over then. What track do you want to listen to?"

Draco hesitantly gave it to Harry. "All of side 'B' but particularly _Wanted Dead or Alive_."

Harry smiled. "You'll like that one." He started the tape and let Draco continue his lesson on classic rock.

Draco hadn't sat back down after his short dance party during Queen, so he immediately started dancing along to Bon Jovi without even thinking about it.

The two wizards danced around Harry's kitchen, occasionally switching out the tapes when Draco's eye caught on another song title that he wanted to listen to. After nearly two hours of dancing, both were brought out of their distraction by a pointed throat clearing in the doorway.

Harry and Draco both froze and hesitantly turned to the intruder. Hermione stood in the open door, hands on her hips. "Did you forget you invited me to help with your case, boys?"

Draco shuffled over to the table dejectedly. "I don't want to work right now."

Harry laughed at Draco's pout and Hermione's indignant face. "We were just passing the time until you arrived, Hermione. If you'd been here earlier, you could have helped with Draco's introduction to Muggle rock music."

Hermione arched an eyebrow then rolled her eyes. "There are many other genres that I can assist with. You were always more of a rock fan than me." Hermione grinned and added, "But if you have some AC/DC, I'll let the work slide and the dance party continue."

Draco jumped to his feet and dug through the box furiously. He triumphantly waved a tape in the air. "Got it!"

The three laughed together and started the dance party once more, happy to postpone their work since the case they were investigating wasn't due to go to court for another three weeks.

Sometimes, you just need to have an impromptu dance party and let loose.


	14. R8 DarkEvil

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Eight Story 1  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (750-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): Category 1: Dark/Evil!AU  
****Word count: 1493 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya**

**Notes: WARNINGS! Blood, gore, violence, torture, major character deaths, mutilation. 4th!Year**

**Don't Cry**

It was too much. He had to get away from the jeers and cacophony of hatred. It was bad enough he had to deal with those stupid 'Potter Stinks!' buttons, but now he actually had students accosting him in the halls.

"It's not my fault!" Harry hissed quietly. He clenched his hands over his ears and bit off a whimper. No need to let the sharks in the water find him. He finally made his way to the Headmaster's office.

He threw out candy names one after the other until finally, the door opened. He stumbled up the stairs and wrenched the door open.

"Harry, my boy," Dumbledore said as confusion crossed his face. "What can I do for you?"

"Get me out of the Tournament, Professor, _please_! I didn't put my name in! It wasn't me! You can't let them put me through it!" Desperation painted Harry's words as he lurched forward.

"There's nothing I can do," Dumbledore responded. "Anything that could have been done to stop this is no longer available. You should have come to me sooner."

"I DID! I came to you the second you put me in the same room as the other Champions. I _told_ you it wasn't me! Moody verified that I don't have the power needed to trick an ancient artifact!" Harry's breath started coming in gasps. It wasn't loud enough to drown out Dumbledore's near-silent statement, though.

Dumbledore steepled his fingers in front of his face as he considered the nearly hyperventilating boy in front of him. Dumbledore sighed and mumbled to himself, "I knew I should have upped the payments to Granger and Weasley to keep an eye on Harry. Maybe another book for Granger when he leaves here will help."

Harry stilled, as his eyes narrowed on the Headmaster. "You what?"

Dumbledore smiled. "I didn't say anything."

Harry saw red.

* * *

Screams pierced the air. Pale blue eyes held no remorse as their owner twisted the knife just a bit further.

"Don't cry, Cho. You knew this was coming. After all, you _were _the one to lead the reign of terror down on me." Luna sat back on her heels and surveyed her handiwork.

Marietta was already dead. Blood loss with no hope of a blood-replenishing potion soon had her body give out on her. Of course, the evisceration may have had something to do with it as well.

Luna stood and wiped a bloody steak down her side. "Harry?"

Dull green eyes landed on her as Harry slit the throat of Draco Malfoy next to his already dead hulking friends. "Yes, Luna?" He smiled as Draco took one last gurgling breath and expired at his feet.

"Do you think we might have been a bit...overzealous?" Luna asked as she took in the bodies surrounding them. Few were still breathing, and many of those wouldn't last the night.

Harry shrugged. "Does it matter? There are always more where they came from. People that think they can suppress us because we're different. Or people who think that, because we're supposed to save them, therefore we should listen to them." He gave a dirty look to the wall where Hermione and Ron hung in shackles. He'd silenced them when they brought in Ginny. In fact, the only person in the Great Hall not harmed was Neville. He was sitting in the Headmaster's chair with a grim look on his face.

"Nev?" Harry called as he glanced around the room to see if anyone of their tormentors were missing. "Did you want to get in on the action? I know I took your chance at the Slytherin Three away, but they weren't the only ones to try to shove you down the stairs in here."

Neville blinked and shook his head. "No, carry on. I'm just thinking of our next plan of attack."

Harry grinned ferally as he finally turned toward his so-called friends. He stepped over the lifeless form of Fleur Delacour and sidestepped the bound and gagged Viktor Krum. Cedric had been released along with most of the younger students as he had actually tried to help Harry when his name came out of the Goblet of Fire. He'd even tried to get his friends to take off those idiotic badges that Draco was so proud of. Everyone else? Every single person that spit or hissed at him, Luna, or Neville was now, in one way or another, going to pay for their actions.

There were several bodies wearing the light blue of Beauxbaton, and many more wearing the red and furs of Durmstrang. They were the ones that tried to make Harry tell them how he'd tricked the Goblet. Like he had any desire to be in a bloodthirsty Tournament with a higher death toll than any other competition he had ever heard of, including the accidental deaths in Quidditch, which had been around for nearly the same length of time and was considered a full-time job to many.

He snapped his wand out and cancelled the silencing spell. He wanted to savor their screams.

"Harry! Ha-Harry, please!" Hermione sobbed as Harry approached them.

"Now now, Hermione. Don't cry. You know better than to believe the herd mentality, and yet, you went along with them. You actually had the audacity to ask me how I had tricked a magical relic to allow me to participate. You _knew_ I wanted nothing to do with the Tournament." He sent a low-powered slicing hex at her and relished in her harsh cries.

"_You_, however." Harry turned his full attention to Ron. "You turned your back on me completely. Hermione will live...if she wants to once I'm done in here, but you—you won't. You deserve everything I'm about to do and more." Harry pulled out the knife he used to end Draco's life and snarled. "You think my life is great? Do you think money solves everything? You saw the bars on the window and locks on the door!"

Harry made methodical nicks and cuts on Ron's arms and legs as he spoke. "You want my money? I wanted a family. You have—well, _had—_" Harry turned his head to the right and took in the twins. Together in death as they were in life. "—a family. Don't worry, Percy will be following you all soon. He was just as cruel and vicious as you and the twins."

Harry tilted his head to the right as he took two steps back. "Luna, do you want to play?"

Luna skipped through the chaos and stopped at Harry's side as she gave a shark-like smile. "Harry, I don't think I'd leave anything resembling a body behind." She waved a careless hand towards the sickening display of what was left of Cho Chang.

"That's fine. I don't think Hermione wants to survive after we kill her not-boyfriend. After all, she cares more for him than she ever did for me." He gave Hermione a searching look then sighed. "I had hoped that Dumbledore was exaggerating when he said you would do anything for knowledge and money, including spying on me. I killed him for his lies. Looks like I was wrong, and you won't live even if you want to."

Harry turned his back on the treacherous duo and let Luna have her fun wringing scream after scream from them. "Neville, I think you do need a bit of cathartic chaos."

Neville shrugged as he surveyed the room. "Unless you have Snape tied up all pretty for me, I don't particularly care about getting my own revenge."

Harry clapped his hands with a devious grin. "Dobby!"

Dobby popped in wearing a militant outfit. "Sir, yes, sir!" Dobby saluted Harry.

"Remember that little present I had you wrap up for Neville? Can you bring it here, please?" Harry smiled sweetly at the only creature aside from his two human friends that cared about him.

"Of course, Harry Potter, sir!" Dobby snapped his fingers and the bound form of Severus Snape appeared in front of Harry's booted feet.

"Happy late birthday, Neville. It's your very own Potions Master Dungeon Bat."

Neville stood from his lounging position on the Headmaster's chair. "Cut out his tongue Harry. We don't want him using wandless magic and I know he can't do nonverbal casting."

Harry reached down, and with a deft twist of his hand, the Potions Master was down one body part.

"Now it's my turn to have some fun," Neville said darkly as he stepped down from the dais and made his way toward his goal. "You are the cause of it all, Severus Snape. Gran told me that _you_ were the one to paint targets on my and Harry's backs. You deserve to be punished, and I'm going to see to it that you are."

The muffled screams from Snape drowned out the gurgled end to the Granger line and the death of the youngest male Weasley.

It was a bloodbath, but the elves were on standby, waiting for the dark trio to give them the go-ahead to clear out the dead and deposit them silently in front of their families with a warning: _Don't retaliate or your deaths will be far more torturous._


	15. R8 Sherlock

**A/N  
****The Houses Competition  
****Round Eight Story 2  
****House: Hufflepuff  
****Student: Year 6  
****Category: Drabble (750-2000 Words)  
****Prompt(s): Category 2: Sherlock  
****Word count: 1705 (Per Google Docs)  
****Beta(s): Aya, Gab, Crissie**

**Notes: Took artistic liberties with the next gen Potter ages. Squib!Albus Potter**

**My Own Way**

"I'm not a wizard and I can't keep trading on the Potter name, Dad! I need to get out and do something else!" I threw my hands up to emphasize my point. "I have only one friend in the entire Wizarding World, and you hate his father! None of you understand what it's like to be so different!"

"Of course I understand what it's like!" Dad yelled as he towered over me. "I was raised in a Muggle home with people who despised me!" he stopped short.

"So you despise me now? Because I'm different? Because Magic deemed me unworthy to wield Her?" I hissed my condemnation at my father as he backed up and tried to backtrack on his words.

"I didn't mean it like that, Albus! You know I didn't."

"And yet you still said _'them'_ in that tone of voice." I stood abruptly and pushed him away from me.

"Albus!" Mother's voice came from the open door and I saw James and Lily peering around her.

"None of you care. I'm just the Squib that no one wants. James refused to acknowledge me in front of his friends. You, Mother, always seem to find something more important than me whenever I finally get you to set time aside for me. Father," I turn my glare onto him as I continued, "Father thinks that not having magic is the end of the world. The only one that doesn't hate me for something I have no control over is Lily, and that's just because she actually does care about me."

"Albie, I love you," Lily whispered as she reached for me.

I sighed and knelt down to accept the hug Lily wanted to give me. My ten-year-old sister launched into my arms, nearly bowling me over. I whispered into her ear, "I love you, too, Lily-Flower, but you know I can't stay here. Not like this." I kissed her temple and slowly pushed her away and stood.

"Albus," James started to speak, but I threw a dirty look at him.

"Don't even start, James. You know I said nothing but the truth."

I stared down my mother as she attempted to speak as well before I cut her off. "I'm nineteen and useless in this world. Nothing you can say will change that fact. No one wants a Squib working for them, not even to cash in on the Potter name."

"Albus Severus! Don't speak to me in that tone of voice!" Mother snapped as she took a step towards me.

"You know what? No, I'm not going to take this anymore. I'll write to you Lily-Flower, but I'm done with the rest of this family."

"Albus!" James growled. "Listen to our parents."

I shoved past my brother and mother and stormed outside where I knew Scorpius was waiting to assist me in my getaway.

"Don't bother trying to find me. I will _never _come back here!" I screamed as I slammed the door shut behind me.

"Albus!" I heard my father yell as he chased after me.

I thrust my hand out to Scorpius who took us away through Apparition. I didn't bother to even grace my father with a parting glance as he ran out into the yard.

Scorpius whisked us away, and for once, I was grateful that there was no way to trace me. Once Scorpius left me in central London, he popped all over the country to lose my father, and any others trying to follow, like we had planned. He met me three hours later in a coffee shop a few blocks away from where he dropped me off. I had taught him all about public transit and Muggle money so that he couldn't be traced.

"Al? Are you alright?" Scorpius asked as he slid into the booth I had claimed as my own.

I shrugged as I went over the fight in my head once more.

"No, not really," I responded. I shrugged and downed my sixth cup of coffee before standing. "Luckily, I think I have a plan to get past my family name."

Scorpius grinned. "Oh, do tell."

* * *

Several months of sending helpful information to Scotland Yard to help put away criminals led to me sitting in front of Detective Inspector Greg Lestrade.

"How do you keep getting into my cases and solving them so fast without even having access to all the evidence?" Lestrade glared at the coffee cup in his hands.

I shrugged. "You know who I am?"

"I'm assuming that you are the missing Potter boy, but you're older than they were telling us." Lestrade sighed and took a sip of his coffee.

"That would be because my family is a bunch of hypocritical liars and they 'only want what's best for me' if it will help the family image. I've gone through the proper channels to get a new identity. I go by Sherlock Holmes now. I was hoping we could come to an arrangement that would keep me occupied and keep my family off my back."

"I don't know how I can help, but let's hear your plan."

* * *

It took nine years, and Lestrade's help, but now I had the perfect set-up. I had a new name and identity that would allow me to do what I did best.

"Good evening, Detective Lestrade!" I called cheerfully as I ducked under the crime scene tape to get closer to the dead male and the detective in question.

"Sherlock," the detective sighed as he looked up from the witness statement he was writing down. "You here to show us all up again with your brilliant deductions?"

I stuck my hands in my pockets and leaned over the corpse to see what I could discern before that buffoon Anderson tore up my crime scene. "You know me, Detective. I'm always up for a challenge." I caught sight of a piece of evidence and groaned, standing up straight. "Detective, this isn't even a two! The boyfriend—shut up, Anderson, you're killing brain cells just breathing—yes, the _boy_friend killed our victim. If you'll excuse me, I need to go."

I held a hand up to forestall Anderson's idiotic remarks and ducked back under the tape. I huffed in annoyance as my cell rang in my pocket. Giving the name a cursory glance I actually let myself smile. "Hello, love. What are you up to today?"

"Albie?! How are you doing?" Lily's voice rang out through the phone speaker.

I laughed. "I go by Sherlock now, you know."

"We know, but you'll always be our Albus," was the response. "Are you gonna come home this year for Christmas?" She sounded resigned to another declined invitation from me.

I sighed heavily and made a decision. "How about you and Julien come over to mine instead? I'm still not ready to deal with—with all of the issues I left—when I left, and I have some people I want you to meet."

"Really? Albie, you'd really let me see your new life?" I could hear the tears in her voice.

"Yes, Lils. I want you to meet the people most important to me now. You'll always be my number one, though."

Lily squealed as she agreed to tell her fiance they had a change in plans for December twenty-second. "Does anyone know about us?"

"As in that you're an actual wand-waving witch? John does, and Greg does since he helped me get my life, as it were, settled. Molly doesn't. Mrs. Hudson definitely does. Her son was a wizard but he got killed in action just before I met her. He was in Her Majesty's Royal Army." I grinned. "John really wants to meet the one person that was able to keep me from being a complete sociopath."

"This is John Watson, right? I knew he would be a good match for you when James told me about him!" Lily gushed.

"James should keep his abnormally large nose out of my business. It's bad enough he took up his own secret identity to follow me into the Muggle World." I froze for a moment as my face flushed when I realized her other statement. "John is not my boyfriend, Lily!"

I could hear the smirk in her voice as she replied, "But you want him to be. It's fine, Albie, really it is. Mother and Father have no say in your life, and when James took over as Head of the Family, he burned all contracts regarding us and marriage."

I sat on a bench a block away from my flat at 221B Baker Street as I processed that information. "Does Scorpius know?"

"Albus," I froze because she never used my name properly. "He was the one to go demand it. He loves you like a brother. He wants you to be happy, and he's told me how happy John makes you."

I hunched over, still holding the phone to my ear. "Really?"

"Yes, really, you idiot," Scorpius' voice came over the phone. "Now go ask that soldier out on a proper date before I wring your neck for trying to keep me happy. You're my best friend, Albus. You deserve to be happy."

I yelped, "Lily! Why didn't you say that Scorpius was there?"

"You wouldn't have spoken so freely if you knew," Lily responded. "Now go follow his advice and get the guy!"

I huffed in annoyance. "You didn't use to be so bossy."

"Yeah, I am now. Goodbye, Albie. We'll see you soon. Scorpius is coming along, too."

I reluctantly agreed, and we all said our farewells and hung up.

I stood, slipping the cell into my pocket. I shook the light dusting of snow off my coat and started walking. "Lily and Scorp do have a point," I said as I finally entered the flat.

"What's that?" John called from the kitchen.

"That I should ask you out on a real date, and not just to chase down criminals."

John gaped at me as the cloth slipped from his fingers. "You—what?"

I smiled. "Will you go out with me? On a date. Where we don't constantly say we're not on a date?"

John choked, turned a fetching shade of red, and gave a mute nod.


End file.
